The present invention relates to an improved massage appliance making it possible simply and effectively to carry out massages in which a suction and mobilization action is exerted on the skin tissue of the patient which may be both a human being and an animal (horses, cattle, etc.).
It has been proposed for decades to produce appliances of this type, as may be gathered, in particular, from FR-A-409 202, Swiss Patent 168 279, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,297,024 and 2,574,601 and also FR-A-1 590 131 and 2 057 514, and to produce such appliances in order to make the masseur""s work easier. In general terms, these appliances may be said to make it possible to exert an action of pressure, displacement, vibratory friction, suction, etc. on the body.
More recently, in the European Patents 224 422, and 284 527 and in FR-A-2 723 310, the inventor of the present application proposed improved massage appliances which make it possible to carry out massages of the xe2x80x9cpalpated/rolledxe2x80x9d type simply and effectively.
In general terms, the appliances described in these latter documents consist essentially of two rollers mounted on a housing along parallel axes, and being capable of being mounted either with a fixed centre distance or a variable centre distance and being driven positively in rotation, the said housing being connected to means comprising a conduit, the end of which opens into the space contained between the rollers, thus making it possible to generate a vacuum which tends to suck the skin in such a way that it forms a fold on which the rollers exert a pinching action.
Such appliances are fully satisfactory from a practical point of view, but require some skill on the part of the operator, particularly when rapid changes in the direction of the massage action are to be made.
Moreover, in this type of appliance, friction against the side walls occurs, thus giving rise to a relatively vigorous action on the part of the operator causing the latter to become fatigued. Furthermore, this friction sometimes gives the patient an unpleasant feeling.
A new type of massage appliance has been found, then, this being the subject of the present invention, which, like all the appliances of the type mentioned above, makes it possible to exert a suction and mobilization action on skin tissue with a high degree of efficiency and which, moreover, is much easier to handle, easy to use and pleasant for the patient. Furthermore, such an appliance also affords the possibility of instantaneous action at 360xc2x0, and also virtually no friction on the skin, thus making the massage sensation much more pleasant.
In addition, since the appliance according to the invention gives rise to limited friction, this makes it possible to produce large-size non-motorized massage assemblies.
In general terms, the new massage appliance according to the invention, making it possible to exert a suction and mobilization action on the skin tissue of the patient, takes the form of a manually actuable assembly comprising essentially a housing which is connected to a suction source and which comprises an inner chamber open on its face intended to be in contact with the patient""s body, and of means making it possible to exert a mechanical action on the skin fold formed inside the chamber during the massage operation, and it is characterized in that:
the suction chamber extends transversely over the entire width of the housing and is open at its two lateral ends;
the means making it possible to exert the mechanical action consist of at least two movable assemblies which are arranged laterally on each side of the housing, bear sealingly against the side walls and shut off the lateral orifices of the suction chamber.
In a preferred embodiment according to the invention, the housing consists of a one-piece assembly comprising an inner chamber which is connected to a suction source and which forms a transverse slot open at its ends and intended to come to bear against the patient""s body, the active elements being mounted on the side walls of the housing, at the same time shutting off the lateral orifices of the chamber.
According to this embodiment, the active elements consist, for example, of two discs mounted freely rotatably about a shaft carried by the housing.
Moreover, in this embodiment, the suction generated inside the chamber is obtained by means of a plurality of conduits which open out in the upper wall of the said chamber.
If the lower edges of the slot can be rectilinear, it is conceivable to have a configuration of the inner chamber such that the lower edges forming the slot are concave or convex or the like. Furthermore, it is also conceivable to mount, inside the chamber, active transverse rollers acting in a similar way to the teachings of the abovementioned patents in the inventor""s name.
Finally, the appliance according to the invention will be connected to the outlet of a suitable suction circuit. Preferably, this suction circuit will comprise a solenoid valve produced according to the teachings of the Patent Application WO 95/09596, which makes it possible to obtain not only all-or-nothing operation, but also a controlled flow of the air fluid between two predetermined values, with the possibility of adjustment between the said values, thus making it possible to obtain xe2x80x9csequential, pulsatory, rhythmicxe2x80x9d operation, such as during the massage operation, the suction rate varying cyclically.